With luxuriantly green scenery, July is a good time to forge ahead and make progress.

Building a high-energy innovation carrier and boosting the self-reliance of science and technology are not only an effective way to cope with the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, but also an important support for implementing the innovation-driven development strategy and constructing an innovation-oriented country.

West China (Chongqing) Science City is perfectly aware that: a scientific and technological innovation platform can provide strong support in basic scientific research, key technological breakthrough, industrial development, etc. Recently, the successful convening of Chongqing Scientific and Technological Innovation and Talent Work Conference has pointed out a new direction for the high-quality development of Science City.

▲ A corner view of Science City. Photography: Lei Jian

01

The world's first---

Ultra-transient experimental facility is located in the Science City!

It is apparent that major scientific and technological infrastructure and large scientific facility are of great significance for cultivating national scientific and technological innovation base and speeding up the industrial operation of scientific and technological innovation platform.

Covering an area of 500 mu, the ultra-transient experimental facility project has attracted much attention since the establishment and approval of its phase-I preliminary study.

Maybe someone will ask what is ultra-transient and what can this facility do?

▲Effects of ultra-transient experimental facility

The ultra-transient experimental facility consists of two core parts: a "high-flux synchrotron radiation source" and an "ultra-transient electron microscope" which adopt strong penetrating X-rays and ultra-fast electrons as tools to observe the internal structure and microworld of substance. It can be accurate to the dual dimensions of "femtosecond" and "angstrom" for scientific research. In short, it is to study the "transient change" of substance in a space of 1/600,000 of a hair and in a time unit of quadrillion of a second.

"Different from other large scientific facilities, our facility can realize the technology of 1 ampere current-high current vacuum technology, which has reached the national advanced technical level." Jiang Bocheng, Deputy Director of the Ultra-transient Laboratory added: "numerous electrons are easy to arouse the tail field, which leads to the burning of the equipment and the loss of electrons, resulting in the failure of the experiment. However, the high current vacuum technology that we have independently designed and developed will overcome this key difficulty."

It is reported that in order to ensure the annular vacuum tube of electron movement smooth, the high-quality copper selected as the tube material can effectively reduce the tail field, prevent the failure of the experiment and the loss of experimental data, greatly improve the safety and success rate of the experiment, and ensure the continuity of application by users and the completion of experimental results.

At the same time, the "ultra-transient electron microscope cluster" is a comprehensive and integrated electron microscope platform with the world's first ultra-transient spin-polarized low-energy electron microscope independently developed by Chongqing University and the world's leading four-dimensional transmission electron microscope as the core, which can realize multi-dimensional, multi-scale and multi-information coupling characterization of substance under various excitation such as force, heat, magnetism, electricity and irradiation.

Simply, it is equivalent to a microscope, which can observe the internal structure of substances that are difficult to distinguish with the naked eye, and serve as a tool of the microworld to provide conditions for research planning and design in various fields. After bringing the research sample, users can easily observe the microstructure of the sample through illumination.

▲Effects of ultra-transient experimental facility

Different scattering mechanisms based on the interaction of photons and electrons with substance. In the future, the ultra-transient experimental facility located in Science City will give full play to the respective characterization advantages of electron probes in space scale and photon probes in time scale, and focus on solving the common key technical requirements in advanced manufacturing, advanced materials, new energy, electronic information and other fields. It can also carry out basic research and industrial technology innovation such as high-temperature combustion mechanism, 3D printing, new materials, micro-nano electronics, solid-state and new fuel cells, early cancer diagnosis and radiotherapy.

Through the interview, the reporter learned that the ultra-transient experimental facility project would be built in two phases, in which a 500Mev low-energy high-current synchrotron radiation source, a beam line station and three ultra-transient electron microscope platforms are planned to be built in the first phase of the preliminary study project.

"According to the work requirements of 'overall planning and implementation by step' of the Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government of Chongqing, and combined with the technical maturity of the two cores of the project, the electron microscope cluster and the synchrotron radiation source. The electron microscope cluster (corresponding to the scientific research building) is firstly launched, and it is expected that the main structure will be capped by the end of this year." said Fu Yan, from Infrastructure Department of Chongqing University.

Meanwhile, it is reported that the technical R&D and engineering construction teams have completed the preliminary design and investment budget of synchrotron radiation source which have been submitted for approval, and it is expected to complete the construction drawing design and project bidding within this year. As of press time, the construction of the pile foundation project of the electron microscope cluster (corresponding to the scientific research building) has exceeded 57% accumulatively.

Although there is just a restricted view, it can also be understood why many large platforms are "clustered" in the Science City.

As the first major scientific and technological infrastructure in the world that explicitly puts forward the multi-dimensional research and regulation of coupling time and space, it can be said that the construction of ultra-transient experimental facility is the "first step" for Chongqing to develop into a national influential scientific and technological innovation center; Of course, it is also the most basic and key symbol of the innovation level of the Science City, which will help Chongqing to improve its scientific and technological innovation ability, overcome key technologies in important fields and link innovation in other fields from point to surface.

02

Build a source of scientific and technological innovation---

Drive high-quality development with scientific and technological innovation

Since the commencement of construction, the Science City has thoroughly studied and implemented the important exposition of the General Secretary Xi Jinping on scientific and technological innovation and talent work. With the strong support of the Ministry of Science and Technology, it has earnestly implemented the work requirements of the Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government, speeded up the building of the core area of scientific and technological innovation center with national influence, continuously gathered innovative elements, constantly optimized innovative services, and gradually presented innovative achievements, thus empowering the industrial high-quality development.

▲Chongqing Research Institute of Big Data, Peking University. Photography: Zeng Cheng

As is learnt, the Science City has successively introduced 33 major scientific and technological innovation platforms such as Chongqing Research Institute of Big Data, Peking University and Intelligent Networked Automobile Innovation Center, and has been approved as the first batch of national applied mathematics centers and the first national manufacturing innovation center in Chongqing, with additional 7 national scientific and technological innovation platforms. It has also gathered more than 20 academicians such as Li Keqiang and Wu Yican, over 300 national talents and 25,000 R&D personnel; and built 20 incubators and crowd innovation spaces at or above the municipal level, including 7 at the national level, and incubated nearly 2,000 scientific and technological enterprises.

In addition, the Science City is also on the list released by the China Association for Science and Technology for innovation-driven demonstration cities in 2023-2025. In 2022, the Science City realized the output value of strategic emerging enterprises of RMB 220.8 billion, accounting for 85% of the total industrial output value, and initially established four major industrial systems: new generation of information technology industry, life and health industry, green low-carbon and intelligent manufacturing industry, and high-tech service industry.

From this, it can be seen that multi-dimensional high-end innovation subjects are accelerating their clustering in the Science City. These "reliable" data emerging continuously are the best proof of development.

▲ Chongqing Science Center of Chinese Academy of Sciences. Photography: Zeng Cheng

The Science City aims to build a national strategic scientific and technological force, inject more "sources of vitality" into scientific and technological innovation, and strive to basically complete a new highland of science and technology with national influence by 2027. Next, the Science City will cultivate national strategic scientific and technological strength, build major scientific and technological infrastructure such as neutron source facility, strive for the settlement of Guangzhou and Zhangjiang laboratories in Chongqing, support Jinfeng Laboratory to set a new benchmark in the field of life and health across the country, and make overall plans to build the Science City International Medical Center. It will also speed up the industrial operation of scientific and technological innovation platform, promote the establishment of 100% R&D institutions for industrial enterprises above designated size, support leading enterprises to gather high-tech talents, carry out collaborative innovation in industry-university-research, and produce leading scientific and technological achievements in the fields of intelligent networked vehicles, high-end devices and chips, artificial intelligence, etc. In addition, it will accelerate the cultivation of national scientific and technological innovation bases, improve the level of Chongqing Artificial Intelligence Innovation Center, and build 4 national scientific and technological innovation platforms in the fields of digital intelligence technology, green and low carbon, which are 25 in total.

▲ A corner view of Science City. Photography: Zeng Cheng

The ancient culture with a long history and the breakthroughs achieved with each passing day always coexist in harmony.

A steady stream of technologies and products that are blooming in science and technology reflects the vitality of Science City to drive high-quality development through innovation. The continuous completion of high-tech platforms proves the confidence and courage of the Science City to build an innovative highland. Innovation is always the keynote of this "Open City" and the cornerstone to support its high-quality development.

Source: Convergence Media Center of High-tech Industrial Development Zone